The college admissions process is the first time that many teenagers have to consider themselves (and their "merit") on a national scale versus a local scale. That's eye-opening, since even the most diverse high schools (in terms of both race and socio-economics) are nowhere near as diverse as the entire nation.

I wonder if Mike Coiro would say the same thing if he wasn't heading to Columbia in the fall. In other words, I want to hear from Mike's straight/white/male friends who thought they were heading to Ivies but didn't get in. That's the real test, and that's where these conversations tend to get ugly.

I think it's an oversight that the article doesn't discuss how colleges & universities, across the board, are becoming increasingly (extraordinarily!) selective. Plus, college degrees are becoming more and more important in the workforce. These are huge problems.

Also, what about preferential treatment for the children of alums? Do advocates of race-blind admissions also support doing away with this other form of special treatment?